Wessex HC2 Crab Cabs Pt II (Fly Wessex - why on earth did I?)

[petetasker]

If its helicopter modellers surely that would be a ‘collective’?

[CedB]

Nice progress hendie, looking smart!

Time to get yourself a Silhouette cutter for those little/big masking jobs?

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

2 hours ago, petetasker said:

If its helicopter modellers surely that would be a ‘collective’?

More like a ‘vortex ring’...

[corsaircorp]

2 hours ago, limeypilot said:

I think a collection of plonkers is called a "cabinet" but I may be wrong......

 

Ian

Sure !! A cabinet of curiosities !!

CC

[perdu]

I bought a boxed Frog Wessex H and inside were about four or five of the original Frog Wessex transfer sheets

 

They have exactly the right size DANGER markings, shall I post a couple to you?

 

Also a few ROYAL AIR FORCE placards too

 

Ships and tar in ha'porth sized pots...

 

Not entirely sure about the big black As but if you tell me the actual size you want I may have some of them too

 

[hendie]

18 hours ago, beefy66 said:

Love the Wessex shape and stunning details and paint job not usually a wingy fan but something about the whirlybirds gets me  

 

There is something captivating about the form of the Wessex.  I'm not crazy on the more unique looking versions, but the HC2 does it for me.

 

 

11 hours ago, petetasker said:

Looking nice - can’t even begin to imagine what a full days modelling feels like. It’s never going to happen in this house!

 

I have to repent afterwards and it always involves lots of pain, chores, and disparaging looks from SWMBO.  Especially when found out!

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

One step forward, two steps back. Isn't that the tango?

 

Yes Pete, progress is being made.

 

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

Great job on the flying piano Hendie !

 

Mention of the word Piano conjures this up in my mind CC

 

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, limeypilot said:

I think a collection of plonkers is called a "cabinet" but I may be wrong......

 

Very astute Ian.   I googled "cabinet of plonkers" and British politicians were at the top of the list.

 

 

6 hours ago, petetasker said:

If its helicopter modellers surely that would be a ‘collective’?

 

 

who's wives gather on a quarterly basis to search for all those dropped bits of PE

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

More like a ‘vortex ring’...

 

Would the vortex ring be cyclic?

 

 

5 hours ago, CedB said:

Time to get yourself a Silhouette cutter for those little/big masking jobs?

 

Got one Ced, but it's such a hassle  -  I need to clean up my workbench so I can have a place to use it.  And I always forget it's capable of stuff like that, but based on yesterdays efforts, I don't think I want to try spraying again. I'll go down the transfer route this time

 

 

3 hours ago, perdu said:

They have exactly the right size DANGER markings, shall I post a couple to you?

 

Thanks Bill but the oversized one is well and truly stuck on there and I don't want to risk damage by trying to rip it off.

 

3 hours ago, perdu said:

Not entirely sure about the big black As but if you tell me the actual size you want I may have some of them too

 

Bill the "A" is about 12mm tall and 2 required.  If anyone could point me to a decal sheet somewhere, I'd be grateful

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by hendie

[perdu]

Kinda this tall H?

 

Scale Aircraft Modelling giveaway for the Gloster Javelin ©1982

 

I have no need of it, allegedly it is a 30" serial which are available from Hannants as a set with assorted RAF?RN serial letters

Xtradecal X72065 in black

 

Adapted from a Modeldecals (RIP Dick) sheet

From the insert slip I cannot make out whether the black ones are X72065 or not

 

Suggest you send me your address and get this ASAP

 

I do have the size in white too, if you need 'em

 

Bill

[hendie]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

Kinda this tall H?

 

Perfect!  PM inbound Bill.  You're a star!

 

Identification started today with XR528 applied to the rear white stripe.   I managed to find some transfers that were the right height in my limited stash.  The characters had to be applied individually which was a bit of a pain, but they went on.  They could have done with being in a bolder type, but they're on now and they're staying there.

Let's just pretend the painter was running short on black paint that day and stretched it out by making thinner characters!

 

 

The roundels went on too.  I think the blue is a it dark and the Model Decal roundels were better, but they started breaking up when they were soaked so I resorted to the italeri items.  Any old roundel in a storm as they say.

The scoops on the nose were fitted - in the right positions this time

 

 

T'other side pretty much the same.  I added a few teensy items just to busy things up.  Not correct of course, but nobody's ever going to see this one up close.

The stencils ended up being

 

 

A shot from above showing the anti-slip on the trans deck and spine

 

 

Last shot for this mornings session showing all the gubbinses left to go on.

and that masking has got to come off - I just checked my photo log, and that masking has been on there for well over a year.

 

 

That tail wheel provided a moment of excitement.  I knew I had made one - I knew I had made it out of brass as the kit part is very weak, both in shape, and structurally, and it broke off early in the build. Could I find it?  Nope - I had actually started making another when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it staring at me innocently from the top of a styrene block I used to stab things into while the paint dries.

 

I may attempt to respray the nose section today, then all that's left are the ident A's and it can be given a last squirt of clear to seal everything in place before the remaining items are fitted.

Oops - and the "fight fire" transfers on the nose once it's painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hendie]

it seems I got a bit ahead of myself there.

 

 

1 hour ago, hendie said:

Last shot for this mornings session showing all the gubbinses left to go on.

 

Not including aerials, pitot tube, other aerials and some assorted greeblies, including the nose guard!  Obviously!

Aaaaand painting the no-slip portion on the stabilizer

 

n'probably a few other bits too

 

 

goes without saying.

 

 

which is why I didn't mention it.  Not because I forgot you understand.

[corsaircorp]

Congrats Hendie !!

Can't wait to see her in RFI 

Real good looking wessex !!

Then I see that the AA, even retired is still helping...

Nice shot @perdu 

Sincerely.

CC

[Fritag]

You should do more of this 1/72 type stuff hendie  

[Brandy]

Baby Wes is looking damn fine. I'm looking forward to more of the true scale from your bench!

 

Ian

[hendie]

On 7/9/2019 at 6:38 AM, Fritag said:

You should do more of this 1/72 type stuff hendie  

 

Right back at ya Mr Fritag!   

 

Now where were we?  Something to do with Wessex...  It's been a while since I tackled the insectual big one and this time I wasn't going to beat around the bush.  Butchery of the first order was required.

 

 

But I held back... I only wanted to cut two slots for the nose door hinge.  Fly provide some teensy little mites of PE hinges that were supposed to be glued end on to the airframe.  The first time I sneezed they were going to fly (no pun intended) off into the darkest realms of the basement.  I needed serious hinges.  Fortuitously, I had some brass strip that was the same thickness as the kerf of my hacksaw - or close enough.

 

 

Two sections of brass strip were clamped together for the shaping ceremony

 

 

Followed by a bit of drilling and some precision filing with the three square.  The precision filing wasn't very precise.

 

 

But once in place, I think this looks a lot more substantial than the kit offering - and is guaranteed to stay in place throughout my clumsy handling.

 

 

Next up was all the fun stuff, you know - the type of stuff that takes forever and nobody really notices, but if you didn't do it, it would be immediately noticeable.  Yes, that stuff.

Multiple attempts just to get this far... see that small piece of wire folded into a "U" shape ?  Did you also notice the small length of tube that covers about half the length of one of the legs?

Well, that wasn't the first U shaped piece of wire, and that wasn't the first little piece of 0.5mm tube that I had cut.  These were just the first bits I hadn't gone and lost

 

 

Even more fun was had by drilling out these little blighters.  I find it hard to believe I was actually successful in drilling things this small.   Bill, you have just earned even more respect.

 

 

Well, the reason I had a small piece of tube in the shot above was because I wasn't so successful in drilling other aerials - so I lopped off the offending sticky-outy part, drilled a small hole just big enough to seat the wire in with a dab of superglue - then lopped off the top end sticky-outies and replaced them with another length of 0.5mm brass tube, and that got me this far...

 

 

Then when it is all assembled, it should look very similar to this.  I even managed to find my EZ-line from several years ago -how great was that?

The aerial on the right has had the EZ-line glued in place, but the aerial on the left has no glue yet, and the EZ-line can slide freely through the precisely drilled holes.   Being not completely stupid, I glues two small pieces of styrene on the free ends of the EZ-line so they could not slip back through the aerial.

 

 

A slap of black paint and they'll look fine. At least in Auld Nick's scale they will.   I hope.

The plan being, that once I figure out where the aerials are supposed to be positioned, I can glue the aerial on the right into position, let that cure, then glue the second aerial in  position, and once that is cured I can pull the EZ-line taught, glue and <snip>

That's the plan that is.

 

for another day though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CedB]

Nice hinges Hendie.

Can't wait to see those beautiful aerials in place  

[petetasker]

Superb - looking forward to seeing how you tackle the mesh over the air intake. But there’s no rush!

[Fritag]

Typically fine hendie metalworking 

 

9 hours ago, hendie said:

Right back at ya Mr Fritag!    

I should have seen that coming 

 

 

 

[Brandy]

Looks like a good plan for the aerials, I see no reason why it shouldn't work. Welcome to small scale rigging!

 

Ian

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

That HF aerial is the dog’s.  And you get extra marks for using the word “kerf”, thus making me look it up. 

[hendie]

9 hours ago, petetasker said:

looking forward to seeing how you tackle the mesh over the air intake

 

half-heartedly!

 

10 hours ago, CedB said:

Nice hinges Hendie.

 

Ta Ced. Once I bury them in paint  and pimp them up they should look okay to the uneducated eye

 

7 hours ago, Fritag said:

I should have seen that coming 

 

Oh yes you should have!

 

7 hours ago, limeypilot said:

Welcome to small scale rigging!

 

'Tis but a fleeting visit methinks.

 

4 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

And you get extra marks for using the word “kerf”, thus making me look it up. 

 

You can't imagine how much fun I can have here in the colonies using real words.  Swarf is always a great one.  Bellcrank draws a complete blank, and I throw in Aluminium on occasion just to watch their faces.  Even more fun can be had with colloquial Scots - they're never quite sure if it's safe to google or not.

[Brandy]

I can totally relate to that, having lived Stateside for 20 years. I had a bunch of fun "down South" with proper English. The blank faces are a joy to behold sometimes, especially when they've just ranted about "we speak English in this country".....🤣

 

Ian

[Fritag]

On 7/7/2019 at 3:58 PM, hendie said:

There is something captivating about the form of the Wessex.

I love the Wessex.  Great memories of it from t’old days.  Been rescued by it, been dunked in the sea by it and was always a bit in awe of the SAR crews.  Ditto for the Seaking too.

 

I’d like to build one, one day.

 

But to do so seems almost pointless after the labour of loves respectively by hendie and Crisp 

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

2 minutes ago, Fritag said:

I’d like to build one, one day.

 

But to do so seems almost pointless after the labour of loves respectively by hendie and Crisp 

On the contrary.  You can be pretty much certain that no build of mine will ever be a yellow RAF SAR cab, which leaves the field clear.  There is a good recent new-tool Airfix kit in your scale.  What are you waiting for, man?  

 

After all, I build the occasional jet.  Seems only fair.

[hendie]

On 7/11/2019 at 2:15 PM, Fritag said:

But to do so seems almost pointless after the labour of loves respectively by hendie and Crisp 

 

au contraire mon ami!   (I had to do that or risk being accused of copying Crisp - it's not plagiarism if it's in a different language - right?)

 

As Crisp so eloquently states, there's bugger all chance of neither he nor I ever being likely to do one of those yellow monstrosities.   I am sure we would all be enthralled by the prospect of a fast'ish jet driver modeling a real aircraft. 

Given your skills and entertainingly often unique ways of problem solving, I am sure we would all love to see a Fritag rendition of a Wessex, even if it has to be in that silly scale.

 

 

[hendie]

Exciting times this week.  Thanks to the philanthropic nature of our esteemed colleague @perdu of this parish, these much needed transfers arrived in the mail courtesy of Royal Mail Birmingham and the United States postal services.

 

 

But first I had a few things to tidy up, namely repairing my bodged up 'repair' of earlier in the week.  This time I was taking no chances.

 

 

Then Bill's Big A's went in place... I did have a slight scare when one of the A's started breaking up but I think that was my fault for using too much micro-sol.  However once the transfers settled in , a quick dab with some black paint and you would never know anything was awry.   Bill - thanks again!!!

 

 

I even remembered to apply the non-slip patch on the tail.

 

 

Then remembered I still had to add the "Fight Fire" transfers on the nose.  They provided much fun and merriment trying to get them in place and stay there, destroying a couple in the process and had to make some up from a combination of decal sheets.  This 1/72 stuff is no fun

 

 

On 7/11/2019 at 2:32 AM, petetasker said:

Superb - looking forward to seeing how you tackle the mesh over the air intake. But there’s no rush!

 

Well, that was interesting.  The part as supplied by Italeri was far too wide so I had to make some minor modifications - removing a section from the center then joining it back together again for starters

 

 

Passable?   Well, at least if fits now - sort of.  If you push really hard

 

 

After all those shenanigans it was time to fit all the sticky outy bits.  Exhausts, oleo's, winch etc.

 

 

On 7/11/2019 at 2:15 AM, CedB said:

Can't wait to see those beautiful aerials in place  

 

On 7/11/2019 at 4:57 AM, limeypilot said:

Welcome to small scale rigging!

 

On 7/11/2019 at 7:58 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

That HF aerial is the dog’s.  

 

... and we're off!   Aerials in place and bonus points for not getting the wires twisted

 

 

Then it was time to start the big reveal...

 

 

which was when I remembered I still had that darned pitot tube to fit!

 

 

As you can see, the masking did eventually come off the windows but I wouldn't say it was the greatest job in the world.  However, considering the tape had been on there for over a year, I should be grateful it came off as well as it did.   I really envy those folks who produce crystal clear canopies at the end of a build.  I always end up with cat litter and candy bar wrappers all over the inside of the windows - I've never understood how that happens.

So here we are... almost at the end.

So why have I still got blue-tac stuck on the sides?

 

 

Well, I tried to pull the wires tight a little bit too early in my rush to get finished, and the aerials started to bend. So the blue-tac is there to prevent the aerials moving while the glue finally cures. Strategic solutions from blue-tac.

 

 

and that mesh cover?  Again, not great but if you don't look too closely it sort of blends in there and doesn't look too bodged. Remember... nobody look at the mesh cover.

 

 

a 3/4 shot - always brings out the best in a Wessex for some reason.

 

 

This time with rotors on.

 

 

It's still not quite finished - I still have another aerial to add (maybe more), but I hear the call of SWMBO and I think I have stuff to do so probably won't get back to this until the end of the week.

 

ahh...... almost forgot.  Just before I go, here's a very quick update on her big sister...

 

added what I hope will be the last of the filler - hope  and last may be too strong for words there

 

 

Then decided to Goth her up.

I was a bit apprehensive about using the Alclad black primer - I had only used it once before and had a bit of a disaster, so was very wary of covering her over. Thankfully, things appeared to go well and the primer worked as intended.

 

 

I was also a bit concerned that all those greeblies I had stuck on the sides may have been too much and in some cases, slightly oversized, but looking at this close up,  I think my fears may have been unfounded.

 

 

The primer showed up a few places for improvement but overall, it wasn't too bad at all.

Next up - lots of micro-meshing

 

but not until next week!

 

 

 

 

[perdu]

Love these Wessexeseseses

 

(you know me, once I get started I have to hurry or lose my place)

 

In this case my place is here, awestruck at just how good the big 'un looks in primer

 

I am glad the Post Office can still get things right, how many British Government started businesses can say that...

 

As look ace